Tag: carrot

Happy December! I am sitting here wondering where 2016 went! Honestly as you grow older the years go by faster!

It is raining a lot and rainy season means mushroom foraging because the conditions are favourable for the fungi to grow. It is actually quite exciting to randomly find a mushroom while taking a walk. Two weeks ago we got a midnight call to go harvest termite mushrooms (which I have talked about here). Yes they are that rare and special. I have childhood memories of picking these mushrooms. It was always a special treat to eat them because they appear randomly during the rainy season and if you can spot them you are a winner. Termite mushrooms are mostly used for soup. Now we Ugandans like using curry powder a lot. A LOT. Flavouring this soup with curry was only natural. The curry adds to the distinct earthy flavor these mushrooms have. The dried version of these mushrooms is sold in most supermarkets but nothing beats fresh food! I realise I have been sharing quite a number of soups and stews lately. It is only because they are the order of the day.

Last Sunday was VD. If you are not familiar with this acronym, it means Visitation Day which is a day selected in a school term for parents to visit their kids at school. All my life I have been on the other end of this spectrum. You know, the one where I am the one cooking and preparing for those going to visit. So we decided to cook a storm, or something like it. The menu was beef stew, matooke Katogo, pasta, and cupcakes. We cooked and goofed around a lot but mostly cooked. Now the beef stew came out so glorious I had to share it. The aroma is just to amazing. if ever you plan on making some beef stew, try this recipe.

In the last blog post I talked about how we need to pay homage to the food that makes up the cuisine of this nation. It is one of the main purposes of this little blog here. And because there is so much food to talk about, I am continuing by rounding up foods that are found here in Uganda and are locally grown. I am also sharing links to some recipe ideas from the archive that you can make with them. Just so you know, I had a hard time limiting the list to only 21. There is so much to discover and so much cooking that has happened here. Wishing you all a wonderful independence day.

Amaranth/Dodo greens

First off is this classic vegetable that, come sunshine or rain, will sprout and thrive almost anywhere. Currently it is glistening from the backyard because of the rain that has graced the land. It is mostly known as poor man’s food but I am set to break the stereotype because this vegetable is packed with lots of nutrients. And on my quest to break the stereo type, I challenged myself to learn how to cook it in different ways. Here are some of the ways you can prepare dodo and still have a great time eating it. Stir-fried, sauteed, in rice, and in pasta.

Cassava

Cassava is one of my favourite tubers. My father can testify. I love my cassava very much especially the crispy friend kind. I also realise frying is probably not the best way to cook so, aside from a comforting cassava –bean katogo (which I am yet to share), I tried this sour cream pudding with chocolate and coconut and these cassava balls and I cannot wait to make them again because it is a good base for desserts and chapati. Also this incredibly tasty cassava leaves soup called sombe is worth a try.

There are some things that are synonymous with Uganda and I believe passion fruit is one of them, especially the juice. In fact it should be the national juice. Don’t you think? So here is this lemongrass infused passion juice because that’s how we make it without a strainer.

Chapati

Another one synonymous with the nation is chapati. I was having a food related conversation a few months back and I realised we consume a lot of wheat. A LOT! Every morning you pass by stalls and kiosks making heaps of chapatti, samosas, and mandazi and they are consumed every day on top of bread! We consume a lot of wheat! So here are ways you can eat your chapati: in the morning as a rolex or a jumbo beef rolex. The possibilities are endless what with CNN talking about the rolex here and here.

Similar to Amaranth, black jack is literary everywhere. Chances are you will find it where ever there is a bush of some sort. It is also medicinal and makes killer tea (at this point I realise the lines are blurred. Everything that makes a hot beverage is called tea!).

Mujaja

The fragrance that this herb releases is otherworldly! If you have not had Mujaja tea before, you should. It is soothing and smells amazing.

Maize

What is life without maize? You know especially if you have undergone the Ugandan education system? You feed on posho and porridge for over 12 years! And to think all the high school leavers have had to eat poshso for all that time is just insane! So I am imagining by the time secondary school is over, no one wants anything to do with anything maize. But then fresh maize, hard corns (gweke style) and some corn bread thrown in there will keep you coming back. So here are some suggestions. This posho stir fry,sautéed maize, and this creamy St. Marcellin salad.

Ntula/garden eggs

Ntula have been around for as long as I can remember and I despised them in my childhood because they are bitter. But now they are one of my favourite vegetables to cook with because they have a great texture and the bitterness adds an unexpected twist to food! They can even be eaten raw! Try out this ntula muekene stew and these ntula fritters.

Again what is Uganda without samosas or sumbusas might I say? You will find them, just like chapatti, on every corner being vended. I have eaten some the tastiest samosas on the streets! And because we love them so much, we fill them with vegetables, beans (peas) and even rice! Yes we eat them every which way and in every size too! Try these ones with melty cheese!

Have you ever noticed that the best pumpkins are not even farmed? They just grow by themselves on waste pits and heaps. Now before you think this is a bad thing, let me explain why these are some of the best pumpkins and why they thrive. You see biodegradable waste is manure for these seeds that we randomly throw. Because the environment is so conducive, these seedlings thrive to become the greenest vines and they give some of the best pumpkins. And we like our pumpkins alongside that soft matooke preferably steamed. Here is some comforting pumpkin soup and pumpkin stir-fry to try.

Nile Perch

Every time I am travelling I keep eyeing those larger than life Nile perches being butchered by the road side. One of my dreams is to buy a massive one and then cook it whole in herbs and spices because that amount of flesh they have is just so unbelievable! Did you know that when the CNN crew came to shoot me in my kitchen my parent’s kitchen, I made perch with groundnut stew and we ate it with akalo (which we call obundu). It was such a great day. You can watch the video here and then go make the stew. Also fish to be specific perch in bugers is epic. The flavours are amazing. You should try it.

I have childhood memories of bucket of simsim paste sent to us by family friends. I learnt to eat it with sweet potatoes and the taste is otherworldly! If you haven’t tried simsism with sweet potatoes, you should. I made a remix of the two by making these simsim balls. Now I always have a bottle of simsim because I like sprinkling it on almost anything. It enhances the flavour of almost everything.

Irish Potatoes

Did you know that aside from cassava and matooke, irish potatoes and popular for making katogo and chips/fries but mostly katogo. Here is a potato-groundnut katogo to try.

Millet

I hear tales from my parents that I used to feed on millet a lot as a kid. A LOT! It was when I fell in love with bushera that I started to appreciate millet. I have been experimenting with making millet bread and the bread is so rich and filling. Here is a massive donut I baked with millet over a year ago.

Phew! That was a long list! I hope you find something to try in this season of celebration. Make sure you let me know when you do try them out or use the #AkitchenInUg to share your creations inspired by the above.